M20FL Super Compliance?


I recently purchased one of the NOS M20FL Super carts from William Thakker on Ebay to use with a VPI Classic. The compliance he states is 20mm/µN. I used Vinyl Engine Resonance Calculator to estimate the resonant frequency in my tone arm (JWM 10.5i SE):

http://www.vinylengine.com/cartridge_database_tools.php#ResonanceCalculator

Arm Effective Mass: 12.3g
Cartridge Mass: 5g
Fastener Mass: 1g
Cartridge Compliance: 20mm/µN

This gave me an estimated Resonant Frequency of: 8.31Hz A little low, but workable.

When I received the cart, I mounted it and aligned it with a MINT Protractor. The VTF was set to 1.5g. And the VTA was up a little in back. (I read that this cart likes a positive VTA setting.)

I tested the M20FL with the Hi Fi News Test Record on the resonant frequency sweep test on side 2, the cartridge would wobble somewhere between the 7 and 5 voice announcements, showing a resonant frequency of around 6HZ! This is too low and the cart was susceptible to footfalls and woofer pumping.

Using the Resonant Frequency Calculator I would need to put in a compliance figure somewhere closer to 35 to get this low of a resonant frequency with this tone arm.

Is the figure quoted by Thakker wrong, or can these NOS cart vary wildly in compliance?

Has anyone else tested their M20fl compliance?

I wanted to make sure I'm not missing something in my calculation before I contact William.

Thanks for any insight.
derekmur

Showing 6 responses by rauliruegas

Dear Lewm: I read in the tonearm VE data base that the Dyna 501 ( similar to the 505 ) has a effective mass: 25grs.

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.
Dear vDarekmur: What kind of quality perfromance do you have/hear with that cartridge? do you have real problems with? which kind?

regards and enjoy the muysic,
Raul.
Dear Derekmur: You don't say if already has or heard something wrong running the 20FL on your set up ( that's why I ask you. ).

I would like to go a little more in deep of what my experiences were/are with several cartridges and tonearms on the resonance subject and if I finded or had problems about:

for years and when I have only 2-3 cartridges I always made everything on hand to meet the theoretical " safe " resonance frequency range with our aware if between that resonance range was better than out of it: I just followed the " rules " as part of my audio learning curve.

Through the years and due that I had more and more cartridges and tonearms too ( I can't remember when. ) things goes more complex to me trying to be in that precise resonance range in the cartridge/tonearm set up so I quit about and just mounted my cartridges testing it on different tonearms/headshells with out worry if each cartridge set up was on target with the resonance frequency range. My target was and is to hear top quality performance from any cartridge.
Well, IMHO I almost always achieve that target and I know that sometimes ( random because I don't check any more. ) the set up is on that resonance range and many times is way off it.

I run my 20FL and 20E where the resonance frequency are ( I check it with your link. ): 6.84 and 4.86 respectively and you know what? I have no single trouble and have great performances with both cartridges.

IMHO the resonance cartridge/tonearm frequency range is almost a " curiosity " but can't tell you how that cartridge/tonearm set up will perform. Of course there are " cases " in extreme set up conditions where the problem is on a extreme resonance frequency range but are not very usual today.

Btw, the compliance spec by the cartridge seller is right.

Lewm, don't worry about but you always can use lower weight headshells and see what happen, Denon and Audio technica made headshells on that weight range you ask but you have make a " fishing " work on the net to find out.

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.
Dear Derekmur: I find these statements in other forum that I think comes from you:

++++++++" I guess I don't mean footfalls. I'm trying to describe what a low resonant frequency sounds like. I guess I mean the arm cart combination is accentuating low frequencies that don't necessarily coincide with musical information. Also the lower frequency spectrum sounds muddy with these artifacts. Is this what you hear with this kind of a mismatch? " +++++

IMHO I think ( like I posted ) that in extreme conditions ( TT set up, LP heavy waves/off center, tonearm poor bearing or faulty bearings, cartridge suspension out of manufacturer design, etc, etc, speaker heavy feedback, , , . ) it could happen what you posted even a deep msitmatch could make that the cartridge skip/wobble over the recording.

Are you on some " extreme " conditions?

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.
So you have muddy bass performance, right?. Other that that " mistmatch " I think that you have to check that the TT and tonearm are perfect level, you have to give 20 hours that cartridge to settle down, after these 20 hours make a check on set up on overhang, VTF, load impedance, capacitance, cleaning the cartridge pin connectors, checking the tonearm wire connection with the cartridge pin connectors, make changes in cartridge/tonearm VTA/SRA set up, azymuth set up ( this cartridge is very sensitive to this parameter and with an unipivot tonearm this is a critical factor. ), antiskating, I don't know which kind of damping " mechanism " ( oil or whatever. ) has that tonearm but you have to play with too, try to find if exist a recording where the cartridge performs great to analize differences, etc, etc.

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.
Dear Derekmur: I want to assume that all what I posted you already checked and is fine.

Two things: check through a microcospe/loupe if the stylus is in pristine condition and second from what you are go up at least 10mm-12mm up at the tonearm pivot ( don't be affraid to do it, can't do harm to anything. ) and listen and see what happen and follow testing from that high VTA/SRA down till you find the cartridge sweet spot.

This time just forget about tonearm/cartridge resonance frequency because the important subject is that you achieve the best performance from the 20FL.

Btw, the MP-50 is very nice cartridge.

Regards and enjoy thye mmusic,
Raul.
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